Apr 01, 2018 shirin neshat supports the iranian opposition, loves contradictions and sees herself as a freedom fighter who uses the weapons of art against the oppression of islamic women. Its painful to say that, because neshats early work is so successful. She is a director and actress, known for zanane bedune mardan 2009, looking for oum kulthum 2017 and land of dreams. Neshat made a lovely choice in her text for this image, which imbues it with layers of paradox and discovery. At that time, neshat began to photograph herself wearing the chador, or veil. Its written all over their faces the washington post. But i am its secret, by the iranianborn photographer and artist shirin neshat which shows a veiled muslim woman who is neshat herself staring intently into the camera, her skin covered with a swirl of black and red farsi script attracted more than the usual. Shirin neshats powerful photographs and video installations illuminate the gender and cultural conflicts of her native iran. Product modeling with keith jones in glendale, california. Neshat grew up in prerevolutionary iran, then came to the u.
Throughout the space, dozens of iranian and arab youth with engaging, thoughtful expressions stare out from blackandwhite photographs by shirin neshat. Neshats the book of kings is inspired by the epic poem shahnameh the book of kings, by the 11thcentury poet ferdowsi, which chronicled iran through the 7thcentury islamic conquest of persia. Shirin neshat translates iranian political unrest through an. Shirin neshat supports the iranian opposition, loves contradictions and sees herself as a freedom fighter who uses the weapons of art against the oppression of. Exiled iranian artist shirin neshat looks at the egyptian revolution. The iran she knows is filled with poetry and mysticism.
Neshat s the book of kings is inspired by the epic poem shahnameh the book of kings, by the 11thcentury poet ferdowsi, which chronicled iran through the 7thcentury islamic conquest of persia. As in her first series, this calligraphic foray is the link that binds neshat with her country, with tradition, with popular culture and ancient persian history. In this book and the exhibition it accompanies, shirin neshat born 1957 looks at the connections between ancient history and the politics of the present in works that employ photography, calligraphy, poetry and filmmaking to explore the primal concepts of violence, passion and love that. Shirin neshats determination to undermine western assumptions about middle eastern women has resulted in an already substantial body of astounding and profound work. Shirin neshat born march 26, 1957 in qazvin, iran is an iranian visual artist who lives in new york. Iranian exile shirin neshats new exhibition expresses the. Interviews with iranian filmmaker and artist shirin neshat.
Shirin neshat, panteha masses, from the book of kings series, 2012. Jan 31, 2012 throughout the space, dozens of iranian and arab youth with engaging, thoughtful expressions stare out from blackandwhite photographs by shirin neshat. Facing history is the companion volume to the smithsonians hirshhorn museum exhibition of the same name. Neshat grew up in prerevolutionary iran, then came to. Shirin neshat panteha masses, from the book of kings. Exiled iranian artist shirin neshat looks at the egyptian. In turbulent, neshats 1998 twoscreen video installation, two singers shoja azari playing the role of the male and iranian vocalist and composer sussan deyhim as the female create a. Artist shirin neshat captures irans sharp contrasts in black and white the iranianborn visual artist has made her home countrys turbulent history the. The book of kings series by shirin neshat on artnet. Throughout most of neshats career, she has been exiled from iran, an outside observer of islamic laws. May 11, 2015 shirin neshat is an iranian artist based in new york.
Shirin neshat, a slight woman with heavy eyeliner, stood against a wall displaying 45 of her photographic portraitsthe faces were covered with inscriptions of farsi poetry. Shirin neshats book of kings captures the faces of the. She is an iranian video and installation artist who explores the political and social conditions of iranian and muslim life in. The book of kings, faurschou foundation, beijing shirin neshat, detroit institute of arts, detroit, michigan. Born in iran, neshat emigrated to the united states in 1974 at the age of 17, and today has photographs, films, and videos in museum collections across the country. Available for sale from leila heller gallery, shirin neshat, salah patriots, from the book of kings series 2012, ink on le silver gelatin print, 152. June 11 every mystery of life has its origin in the heart. Shirin neshat is perhaps the bestknown artist of the iranian diaspora following the 1979 revolution, which replaced a secular regime with an islamic republic. The exhibit, the book of kings, was inspired by the wave of political uprisings throughout the arab world last year, and according to the gallery, explores the underlying conditions. Women of allah by shirin neshat goodreads share book. She who tells a story is an exhibit at the museum of fine arts, boston.
Although her work has never been exhibited in her own home country, she has gained international recognition. I ranian artist shirin neshats soliloquy, a new doublescreen colour film, and turbulent, her trilogy of doublescreen films also showing at londons serpentine gallery, form the best. The book of kings series shirin neshat s large photo series the book of kings is inspired by the 60,000verse poem shahnameh the book of kings from the eleventh century by the persian poet ferdowsi, today still the great narrative of persian history up to the islamic conquest of persia in the seventh century. Born in qazvin, she left iran at the age of sixteen to study in the united states. Taking its title from a poem by iranian poet forugh farrokhzad, the exhibition which presents over 230 photographs and eight immersive video installations works.
Shirin neshat on the video art that reconnected her with. Available for sale from goodman gallery, shirin neshat, panteha masses, from the book of kings series 2012, ink on le silver gelatin print, 101. I will greet the sun again is the largest exhibition to date of internationally acclaimed artist shirin neshat s approximately 30year career. Here is the translation of the poem, i will greet the sun again, from neshats book. The gladstone gallery and the faurschou foundation in beijing, china are just some of the art spaces that have had the pleasure of exhibiting shirin neshat s the book of kings. The display includes recent works, such as the photographic series inspired in the classic persian text, the book of kings, and the short overruled. The exhibition, she explains in an interview with voa persian tvs behnam nateghi, is about power and peoples relationship to power, which she sees as. But that is not the world that shirin neshat knows. Neshat found inspiration in stories from participants in the arab spring in 2011 and protesters from the iranian green movement in 2009. Artist shirin neshat began to explore the question of identity after moving from her native iran to new york, where she has lived in what she defines as selfimposed exile for most of her adult life. Shirin neshat biographyneshat is a female visual artist, born in iran and educated in america where she currently resides. An encounter with artist shirin neshat dw documentary. For shirin neshat, art became a kind of an excuse to build a relationship, even from a distance, to her homeland and history. At the age of seventeen, she relocated to the united states to complete her education.
Installation view of exhibition the book of kings by shirin neshat 9. Shirin neshats photographs and videos address individual freedoms under attack from or repressed by social ideologies. Shirin neshat, roja the book of kings, ink on le gelatin silver print 60 x 45 in. May 17, 2010 we publish many striking images in the arts feature that accompanies our fiction and nonfiction chronicle columns. View the book of kings series by shirin neshat on artnet. Shirin neshat national museum of women in the arts. Browse more artworks shirin neshat from leila heller gallery. Throughout most of neshats career, she has been exiled from iran, an outside observer of the increasing rigors of islamic laws effect on the countrys women and daily life. The work of shirin neshat revolves around the condition of the muslim woman, striking a balance between the search for cultural identity and the distortions and prejudices faced in the west. Jun 15, 2001 shirin neshat s determination to undermine western assumptions about middle eastern women has resulted in an already substantial body of astounding and profound work. Neshat has strived to become an influential artist, winning awards such as best director at the 66th venice film. Written on the body by shirin neshat the strength of. Nearing the twentieth anniversary of her new york debut, shirin neshat, in her recent exhibition at gladstone gallery, book of kings, adeptly challenges and speculation about her works currency or its resonance. The book of kings marks neshat s return to blackandwhite photography.
Installation view of exhibition the book of kings by shirin neshat 10. She obtained her ba, ma, and mfa at uc berkeley and moved to new york city in 1983. Her father was a wellrespected physician and her mother a homemaker. Shirin neshat, irish museum of modern art, dublin shirin neshat, patrick painter, santa monica, california shirin neshat, barbara gladstone gallery, new york shirin neshat, kanazawa contemporary art museum, kanazawa, japan shirin neshat, hamburger kunsthalle, hamburg, germany. Shirin neshat was born on march 26, 1957 in ghazvin, iran. May 18, 2015 artist shirin neshat captures irans sharp contrasts in black and white the iranianborn visual artist has made her home countrys turbulent history the subject of high art. Shirin neshat was born to a wealthy family from qazvin, a small city two hours from tehran, in 1957. Shirin neshat model added a new photo to the album. This beautiful volume presents an array of neshats most compelling works and illuminates the points at which cultural and political events have inflected her artistic practice.
Best known for her work in photography, film and video, neshat creates stark visual contrasts that offer glimpses into the social, cultural and religious codes of muslim societies. The book of kings is a series of photographs, with farsi calligraphy and beautiful drawings from the preislamic history of persia inscribed on the developed image. Her father was a physician, and both her parents were recognized as uppermiddle class and intellectual. These images wrest emotional, aesthetic and political freedom from the dominant patriarchal culture, whether it be the colonialist west or fundamentalist iran. Artist shirin neshat captures irans sharp contrasts in. Shirin neshat and lalla essaydi, two artists known for their use of calligraphy, add linguistic layers of coding to.
Shirin neshat translates iranian political unrest through. Facing history takes a sweeping look at her output and will present her iconic blackandwhite photographic portraitswhich she discusses belowas well as her nonnarrative videos and her recent forays into cinema. A major retrospective of neshat s work, organized by the detroit institute of arts, was scheduled to open in 20. Jun 24, 2015 for shirin neshat, art became a kind of an excuse to build a relationship, even from a distance, to her homeland and history. An encounter with artist shirin neshat dw documentary youtube. Artist shirin neshat captures irans sharp contrasts.
Installation view of exhibition the book of kings by shirin neshat 11. In her fifth solo exhibit at new yorks gladstone gallery, artist shirin neshat sets up her first ever photo installation. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between islam and the west, femininity and masculinity, public life and private life, antiquity and modernity, and bridging the spaces between these subjects. Find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. Shirin neshat and turbulent, 1998 the outsiders exhibiting.
Shirin neshat is a contemporary iranian visual artist best known for her work in photography, video, and film such as her 1999 film rapture,which explore the relationship between women and the religious and cultural value systems of islam. Gladstone gallery specializes in modern and contemporary art with locations in new york and brussels. In 2012 shirin neshat had a solo exhibition in singapore, game of desire at art plural gallery. Shirin neshat was born on march 26, 1957 in the city of qazvin, iran. Facing history presents an array of neshats most compelling works, illuminating the points at which cultural and political events have impacted her artistic practice. Feb 04, 2008 shirin neshat born march 26, 1957 in qazvin, iran is a contemporary visual artist who lives in new york.
The use of the written word in the art of shirin neshat and lalla essaydi. Shirin neshat is an iranian artist based in new york. Shirin neshat on the video art that reconnected her with iran the start podcast the visual artist reveals how her installation turbulent built a. War of words reorient middle eastern arts and culture. I was really immersed in the arab spring and have even done a piece of work called the book of kings, which was about.
The exhibition, she explains in an interview with voa persian tvs behnam nateghi, is about power and peoples relationship to power, which she sees as the essence of firdowsis epic poem the book of kings. Qazvin is approximately two hours north of the capital city of tehran, and near the elburz mountain range. She is known primarily for her work in film, video and photography. While often perceived as a purely aural element, the word is as important a visual tool in politicallymotivated art. Shirin neshat salah patriots, from the book of kings. The exhibition consisted of a total of 56 black and white photos framed in unmated and black frames that were hung across the two galleries. Shirin neshat biography childhood, life achievements. Throughout most of neshats career, she has been exiled from iran, an outside observer of islamic laws increasing effects on the countrys women and daily life. A total of 56 black and white photographs, framed in black and unmatted, and hung in the main gallery space, the reception hallway, and a smaller side room. In 1993, after living in the united states for almost 20 years, neshat now 58 started making photographs of women with. May 09, 2014 shirin neshat biographyneshat is a female visual artist, born in iran and educated in america where she currently resides. One portrait on view, ibrahim 2012, belongs to a part of the book of kings series neshat calls the patriots.
Shirin neshat, roja the book of kings, 2012, ink on le gelatin. As an iranian woman, shirin neshats startling photographs convey a power t. Shirin neshat born 1957 qazvin, iran lives and works in new york download biography. May 15, 2015 its painful to say that, because neshats early work is so successful. On wednesday october 16, 20 i was fortunate to attend a lecture with some of my art history students at the museum of fine arts, boston entitled shirin neshat.
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